BuzzerBeater Forums

Thank you for your feedback, and I concur that it might be difficult to implement, but that's why I'm sharing my idea here, so we can find a way to realize it together! As long as the benefits are worth it, a big implementation might not need to obstruct the realization of the idea.

To address your points:
Amount of U21 players on roster - yes currently most teams do not have enough youngsters. It can be solved to make it an optional competition, so competing teams might not join but rebuilding teams will. Another option is that managers will just purchase/train extra U21 players, as they can help in the cup too. To offset the extra salary for those players, the competition could generate money for wins or just ticket sales.

Minutes/gameshape - One way this could be solved is the minutes played in the U21 club games do not count against the weekly minutes for training/gameshape, like then National team games and B3. Another way, which might be even ideal, is let the minutes count, so the U21 (trainees) will make the 48 minutes in the U21 club games and then just as a backup in the real competition for the full team. We could even change the training system a little, so that players receive training for minutes played in the U21 competition (maybe even all positions). That way, managers don't need to play trainees in real competition games losing them games, but they can play them competitively against other trainees.

Achievements - I think the U21 club competition provides an opportunity for even more achievements, if that's important. I do not really value them, but I don't see a problem in adding extra to replace those that make less sense because of the competition.

I would suggest an expansion draft to fill out the U21 roster of around 10 trainees maybe? How this draft is conducted is up for discussion. U21 team members can be freely switched between your main team roster if you wish to play them in regular season games. Rookies drafted during the succeeding seasons can also be placed on the U21 roster or main roster as you see fit. A separate training schedule should be in place so both teams will have a chance to be trained. U21 games should generate income (but lesser than regular season ticket sales income) to cover for salaries.

Thank you for your feedback! So you think it's best to have a seperate roster for U21? Don't you think it's possible to just keep 1 roster, which might be easier to manage and implement?

I think it would be easier to manage if you have a separate U21 roster since: 1.) You have separate U21 and regular season games and 2.) Separate training schedules. Although both rosters can benefit from the same training staff to reduce the potential cost of expanding. The U21 draft would be a bit tricky but I suggest it be similar to pre-season draft where you select prospects but not necessarily a team full of MVP and HoF potentials, some would be scrubs, some would be fired but in the end you should get a decent full U21 roster. I hope that helps.

But we don't have a seperate cup roster while we do have seperate cup games right? I'm not sure about a seperate training shedule, but I do think there's potential to change the way training works with a U21 club competition. I think that deserves a seperate topic though, since it's a pretty big subject.

I love this idea. Frankly, this is what should have been established in the first place instead of Utopia.

Another manager game I play has a similar set-up to this idea.

Each manager has a Main Roster and a Youth Roster. After you register for the game, it randomly generates a full roster for your Main Roster and Youth Roster. Most of these players are useless, kind of like the randomly generated rosters for new teams here.

As far as game play goes, in the other game I mentioned above the structure of the youth leagues mirrors the main team. Using my team here as an example, all the teams in USA III.8 would also be in USA U21 League III.8. Promotion and demotion follows the main team, so if I would promote or demote this season, so would my youth team. There is even a Cup competition for all Youth League winners the following season.

A similar set-up would work here.

1) New teams would get a randomly generated main roster and a randomly generated U21 roster. Existing teams would get a randomly generated roster of U21 players.

2) U21 leagues could mirror the existing league set-ups for every country. Youth games could run on Mondays and Wednesdays driving more traffic to the site (meaning more revenues from ads, etc.) as well as giving managers more stuff to do in the game.

Thank you for your feedback and the comparison with the other game! Seems like a fine way to set up too.

How do the players of those team interact? Can players of the youth roster play in games of your main team or are they seperated? Can you have players below age 22 in your main team at all?

Youth players can me moved back and forth between the two teams. They can play in the youth league games and on the main team games as well. That game doesn't have a Game Shape rating but it does have a stamina rating. Play the youth players too much and you wear them out and they play worse. However, the do build up their experience rating faster.

Sounds like a valid way to use here too. I hope the developers have seen this thread and have enough input!

If any others have more feedback, ideas or ways to make this work, let's hear it!

The youth team is also a great way to develop your top rookie until he is ready to play for the first team, that way you don't have to sacrifice your main starters just to get the inexperienced rookie some training minutes.